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Globalization and Ethical Policy Final Paper HU3710 Engineering Ethics Lilly Manns 4/28/2013

The process of globalization has made countries, people and information closer and easier to access than in the past. Globalization has affected (and will continue to affect) the way policy-makers view and address the ethics of both global and local issues, as national leaders must make decisions about what is best for their constituents and their country. How can policy makers make ethical decisions in a complicated, globalized world? National leaders in a globalized world must take a wider view of their policies, which can have important human and moral consequences. Policy makers must attentively consider options, utilizing logic, reason and critical thinking, recognizing that their decisions have far-reaching effects, in order to make sure those decisions are ethical. Globalization is the integration process of nations caused by the exchange of technology, products, ideas, views and other aspects. The assimilation of countries resources creates inter-dependence between nations and people of different cultures. Business practices, economics, material items, and socio-cultural resources can affect the globalizing process, and in turn, be affected by it. Globalization is a technology that creates a new actant in the world, changing the opportunities and consequences available within situations, whether they are recognized or not. Nations are not insular; policies made in a single nation can inadvertently affect others because of this connectedness. The obligation to endure gives people (and nations) the right to know what is going on in other, connected parts of the world because it could potentially affect their own person.

According to Appiah, a global citizen understands that we can affect other people in foreign countries and cultures with our policies and actions, and the fact that we know about these cultures means that we have a responsibility to respect and care about them. This respect stems from the understanding that everyone has universal rights and responsibilities, but norms and values may be different. Cosmopolitans recognize that those differences make people go about their responsibilities differently, but it doesnt make those cultures any more or less moral. Making decisions that are respectful of other cultures necessitates conditions under which people are motivated to think critically about the universal and culturally ethical aspects of an issue. By creating an atmosphere where everyone gets to discuss and contribute to the decision-making process, people feel as though their views matter and can shape policies; this in turn motivates people to become informed about issues, including the comprehensive implications of various choices. Being an ethical force upon the world requires the ability to remove from the decision-making process influences of fundamentalism and unilateralism, the strict adherence to religious doctrine and assuming only you have the right answers, to approach situations with an open mind. Ethical decisions can be made only after first recognizing the wider implications, context, and ramifications of a situation. This ability to think critically about issues applies to everyone; however law-makers and other leaders, with the responsibility to represent and make decisions for many people, must be entirely engaged in determining well-thought-out and ethical judgments. Policy makers in all countries must engage in democratic deliberation, to define and critically analyze possible outcomes, in order to reach ethical decisions that recognize respect for persons across the globe.

Globalization makes communication and understanding between countries and people easier than ever, which can lead to ethical results; listening to and incorporating diverse viewpoints creates well-rounded, sympathetic outcomes. Globalization also enables many viewpoints to be considered, complicating issues with many perspectives that must be taken into account. A more complicated, diverse and multi-faceted problem can make assessing options more difficult and confusing, especially when those decisions have the potential to affect a wide range of people and cultures. However, that difficulty should not be an excuse for making unethical decisions; responsible leadership means going above and beyond and making an effort create policies that affect global cultures in a positive way.

Resources Appiah, K. A. (2008), Chapter 6: Education for Global Citizenship. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, 107: 8399.